Can-cover.



3. BRENZiNGER.

CAN COVER.

APPLICATIQN FILED JUNE 8,19l7.

Patented, Dec. 10, 1918.

Aittf lay/enter:

UNITED s'ra'rns PATENT oiruion JULIUS BRENZINGEB, OF FAIRFIELD,CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR T0 SANITARY CAIN.

MACHINERY COMPANY, OF ELLSWORTH, MAINE, A CORPORATION CF MAINE.

CAN-COVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Bee. in, 1918.

Application filed June 8, 1917. Serial No. 173,490.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULiUs Bunszinumu a citizen of the l nited States,residing at Fail-field, in the county of Fair-field and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can-Covers, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates generally to covers or tops for sheet-metalcontainers, with more particular reference to what are commonly known assquare cans, although they might more properly be called oblong withcorners so decidedly rounded as to give them almost. an ovalsbape.

Formerly, a filled can and its cover on top were adjusted by hand in theseaming mechanism of a so-called heading" ma- -chine. Later, the demandfor greater output capacity and consequently high speed of operationrendered necessary the provision'of mechanism for automatically teedingthe cans and covers to the seaming mechanism, and to simplify thisoperation the covers are stacked, in superposed relation, the lowermost.or bottom cover being withdrawn and properly positioned on an ad-,

vancing can in transit, ravity retaining the stack as a. whole in suchposition that the In connection with bottom cover is always in positionto be engaged by the cover-feeding mechanism.

These covers may be generally described as being pan shaped, having adepression which fits within the mouth of the can body and a projectingflange which is intercurled with the flange on the 'body to form ahermetic seam. In connection with so-called round cans. the edge of theflange of the cover is down turned-easily and readily done in'thestamping operation-and this really amounts to the first step of theintercurling operation and facilitates the action of the seamingrollers. However, it also serves to slightly space apart the stackedcovers and permit withdrawal of the bottom cover by the cover-feedingdevice; otherwise, the covers would nest so closely that no form of toolcould be relied upon to penetrate the stack between the bottom cover andthe one next above in order to ever, the sharper angle oi curvature therounded cornersrenders it diflicult to turn sii'pport the stack duringremoval of said bottom square cans, how

down the flange edges of the cover in the stamping operation with therequisite uniformity. The edge of a round can cover is regular incontour, wherefore the degree, di-

rection and effect of the forces of the stamp-- ing operation aresubstantially identical and the problem of die-forming the cover edgesis simplified. In a square can cover, however, the edge includes bothstraight and curved portions, the metal of the former being merely bentover while in the latter it must be compressed, and this makes itexceedingly difiicult to produce a perfectly uniform turned edge on theflange of a square can cover by a die-stamping operation. Furthermore,dies for this purpose must be exceedingly exact and accurate, and

thisnot only adds to their initial cost but also to the expense ofmaintenance.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of asquare can cover having the usual depression and projecting flange,portions of the flange being so formed as to prevent nesting of thecovers when stacked and hold them in such spaced relation to each otheras to permit insertion of the separating tool between the bottom coverand the remainder of the stack to support the latter while theformer wasbeing withdrawn for superposition on the open can to be headed. i

- My invention will be readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which 1Figure 1 is a plan view of a can cover embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. i is a side view of a plurality of my improved covers in stackedarrangement.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, numeral 7 designates What may,be termed the-depressed portion of aso-called square? 100 can cover,which is provided with the usual projecting flange 8 adapted tobe.intercurled with a corresponding flange on the body. portion of thecan to'form the well-known double seam, I

While these covers are more generally referred to as. --square cancover, implying rectilinealJside and end edges, asa matter of fact theseside and end edges have usually given a slight eurv atuge, but for thepllli- 110 repetition of the poses of this description it may be assumedreadily be passed lengthwise between forming or bending rollers whichoperate to bend or turn down portions of the opposite longer sides ofthe flange toform the depending lips 11 11. So far as the can headingoperation is concerned, these lips probably perform noor at least anegligible-useful function, but it will be apparent that in the absenceof these lips or their equivalents,

these covers, when stacked in superposed arrangement, would nest soclosely and snugly that it would be practically impossible to slidinglywithdraw the lowermost cover. hen these lips are provided, however, itwill be apparent, as shown in Fig. 4, that when the covers are stackedthey are so relatively spaced from each other that a suitable separatingand supporting tool may readily be so mounted and adjusted as to be madeto dependably and invariably pass successively between ea ph bottomcover, in turn, and the remaim er of' the stack and support the latterduring the operation of withdrawing said bottom cover. either slidinglyor by gravity through the removal of primary orinitial supportingmeansand this without disturbing the positional relationship of theremaining covers. the entire StaCl\,'ll])0n repositioning of saidprimary or initial supporting -neans and withdrawal of said separatingand supporting tool, failing to locate the new bottom cover forseparating and feeding operations.

As hereinbefore suggested, a perfectly uniform turnedalown flange edget'acilitates--rather than impairsthe seaming ope ation, but; lack ofsubstantially perfect uniformity is likely to result in the tormation ofan imperfect seam. Therefore, pack- I ers have objected to square cancovers 'having a continuous turned-dmvn tlange' edge, and have preferredthe flat flange. owerer, as I lllil'l'ttlOWll only substantiallystraight portions of the flange edge, the desired uniformity is insuredthroughout the whole extent of the turned-down portions and apractically perfect seam may readily be formed.

While to facilitate description I have referred to the end edges 9 landthe side edges l0 10 as being straight edges, they are really slightlycurved. The slight curvature of the side edges l0 l0 is'ot' practicaladvantage to me in the carrying out of my invention, for if these edgeswere rectilineal, in passing the cover between edge-turning rollers theflange-edge would not only have to be down-turned throughout its entirelength but the dmvn-turned portion would necessarily slightly encroachupon the rounded corners at each end, whereas when this edge is curvedthe major middle portion only thereof isdown-turned, sullicient inextent to prevent nesting but insutlicient to prevent the formation of asubstantially perfect seam.

I donot claim patcntable novelty for a can cover having a continuousdown-turned flange edge, but what I do claim is 1. A cover or top ofsheet-metal containers having con'iparatively straight side and endedges and rounded corners, and having a continuous flange to beintereurled with a flange on the body portion of the container, oppositecomparatively straight edges only being down-turned to prevent nestingof the covers when assembled in stacked a'rrangement."

2. An oblong cover of top for sheet-metal containers .havingcomparatively straight side and end edges and rounded corners, andhaving a continuous flange adapted to be intercurled with the flange onthe body portion of the container. the flanged edges of the longer sidesonly being downiturned to prevent, nesting of the covers when assembledin stacked arrangement;

In testimony of the foregoing. l have hereunto set my hand in thepresence of two witnesses.

JULIUS BRENZINGICR. \Vitnesses llm'nr (l. BURHUUGHS, ANNA DIUKBnnns'rmn.

